Save Princess Vlei, heartbeat of the Cape Flats Cape Times, August 16, 2009.By Bridget Pitt and Therese Boulle Kelvin Cochrane walks us around the fynbos garden he is creating at Princess Vlei, as part of the rehabilitation project to “dress the Princess”. As he shows us the restios and ericas tentatively reclaiming the soil, he speaks of “the Princess” with the same tenderness and respect he would show his child or his grandmother. For Princess Vlei encapsulates a fundamental element of Cochrane’s history, and of the history of all Capetonians. It also holds an equally critical key to our future. The future of the vlei hangs in the balance as the rezoning of the site to allow commercial development on a portion awaits final approval. The proposed development by Insight Property Developers would include a 9 090m2 shopping mall and 100m2 taxi rank. Councillor for the ward Jan Burger has defended the project, saying it would offer “much needed economic development”. But protests by residents indicate this kind of development is the last thing they need. And the controversial development seems set to violate a number of cultural, historical and environmental sensibilities. The story of Princess Vlei is a quintessentially South African story. According to tales told by Khoi herders and passed on by slaves – and recounted by Jose Burman in Safe to the Sea (Human and Rousseau, 1962) – the vlei was named after a powerful Khoisan princess. Her stronghold was a cave in the Constantiaberg, now known as the Elephant’s Eye Cave. The Prinses Kasteel River ran from above the cave to feed the vlei, a favourite spot of the princess. While bathing there, she was abducted and killed by a passing band of Portuguese sailors – believed to be from the party of Francisco d’Almeida who died in a skirmish with the Khoisan in 1510. It was her tears that created the small vlei beside the larger one. According to local superstition, Princess Vlei claims one life every year to pay for this violation. In the 500 years that followed, the princess’s descendants were enslaved, raped, exiled and killed. Under the Nationalist government they were forcibly removed from their homes and driven out to bleak council tenements on the Cape Flats. For those removed to Lavender Hill, Grassy Park, Lotus River, Steenberg and Retreat, Princess Vlei provided a welcome respite from the desolate wasteland in which they found themselves. It offered a refuge from the growing gangsterism and crime, a meeting point for scattered families, and a welcome breath of tranquillity. Deprived of access to most of Cape Town’s recreational beaches and scenic areas, coloured people from kilometres around adopted Princess Vlei as their own, and the place acquired a special place in their hearts. Residents today have cherished memories of watching birds skimming over the water, fishing, picnics and rites of passage such as weddings and baptisms. It was nicknamed “Claremont Beach”, and the area around the small vlei was called “Galaland”. A well-loved landmark was the vegetable stall that was granted to a Mr Jacobs in compensation for losing an eye during service in World War II. But under apartheid, the site suffered the same neglect as other “coloured amenities” and gradually became degraded, particularly when it was used for dumping sand and rubble during roadworks on Prince George Drive. But the people never lost their love for the place, and when the application for its rezoning was first tabled, the community launched appeals that have delayed the process. One of the most passionate objectors to the development was Cochrane, who approached the SA National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) with a proposal in July 2008 to rehabilitate the vlei. A partnership was formed with Sanbi, Biowatch and the City of Cape Town Parks, with Cochrane as the project manager. This initiative set out to remove alien vegetation, plant indigenous fynbos and trees, create pathways and boardwalks and construct bomas and other appropriate structures. Long-term proposals include an environmental education centre, a memorial commemorating the place’s history, and trails linking the vlei to Tokai Manor House, and up to the Elephant’s Eye Cave. Cochrane sees the restoration of Princess Vlei as a critical part of a process to liberate the Cape Flats from its status as “the poor step-child” of the Mother City. Before becoming degraded by subeconomic urban development and widespread alien vegetation, the Cape Flats was an ecological wonderland, commanding an extraordinary diversity of fynbos and animal life.